The Renault/Nissan relationship is stronger than that. Renault purchased 45% of Nissan and they now share parts and tech. Hence the reason Renault's road cars have improved while Nissan's legendary reliability is now but a fable.

I'd like to see BMW back in F1. I think the way BMW design their road cars, it is a shame that they are not regularly in F1.They can challenge Ferrari & Mercedes for raw speed and coupled with a well-designed car body, they can be potential winners.

I'd like to see BMW back in F1. I think the way BMW design their road cars, it is a shame that they are not regularly in F1.They can challenge Ferrari & Mercedes for raw speed and coupled with a well-designed car body, they can be potential winners.

Also BMW made one of the most powerful engines. For example at Monza one year Webber squeezed Kubica on grass (all 4 wheels), Kubica came back on track and overtook Webber before the end of straight. This is how awesome were the engines.

_________________Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.Mark Twain

In a different way to someone like Mallya or Fernandes, yes. Williams, Sauber, Ferrari and McLaren exist to race. Ferrari is infamous for selling road cars simply to fund the F1 team. McLaren started out as a racing team before branching out - and would not exist or hold such a reputation in the industry without that. Williams have branched out to avoid the team going under after BMW's unceremonious departure. Peter Sauber is just a racing nut, and Monisha Kaltenborn is much the same. They are, first and foremost, racers.

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In a different way to someone like Mallya or Fernandes, yes. Williams, Sauber, Ferrari and McLaren exist to race. Ferrari is infamous for selling road cars simply to fund the F1 team. McLaren started out as a racing team before branching out - and would not exist or hold such a reputation in the industry without that. Williams have branched out to avoid the team going under after BMW's unceremonious departure. Peter Sauber is just a racing nut, and Monisha Kaltenborn is much the same. They are, first and foremost, racers.

But why car manufacture can't be considered as a racer? Car manufacture is just sponsor and owner. Drivers always do some pr stuff. It can be promoting luxury watches or Toyota cars. Just another pr exercise. Where is the difference? Just because it's car manufacture they can't be considered racers? Actually the first races were to promote cars. See what Peguot or Renault did in 19th century. Just because 80s and 70s were "garage era", it doesn't mean it is the only "true" form of racing.

_________________Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.Mark Twain

Anyway, a company like Hyundai would be good to have. There'd be no historical baggage like with other marques and the South Korean economy isn't as much in the fairy cakes as Europe and US, so they have more spare money for a motorsport project.

In a different way to someone like Mallya or Fernandes, yes. Williams, Sauber, Ferrari and McLaren exist to race. Ferrari is infamous for selling road cars simply to fund the F1 team. McLaren started out as a racing team before branching out - and would not exist or hold such a reputation in the industry without that. Williams have branched out to avoid the team going under after BMW's unceremonious departure. Peter Sauber is just a racing nut, and Monisha Kaltenborn is much the same. They are, first and foremost, racers.

But why car manufacture can't be considered as a racer? Car manufacture is just sponsor and owner. Drivers always do some pr stuff. It can be promoting luxury watches or Toyota cars. Just another pr exercise. Where is the difference? Just because it's car manufacture they can't be considered racers? Actually the first races were to promote cars. See what Peguot or Renault did in 19th century. Just because 80s and 70s were "garage era", it doesn't mean it is the only "true" form of racing.

Aside from Ferrari, manufacturers have come and gone depending on economic and market conditions. The real racers are the ones who stuck it out regardless, for the love of racing. Not exclusively garagistas, but they tend to fit the bill better. Sadly today's F1 is too expensive for them to continue without branching out.

_________________Organiser of the single most low-tech Robot Wars tournament in history, PM for details!

In a different way to someone like Mallya or Fernandes, yes. Williams, Sauber, Ferrari and McLaren exist to race. Ferrari is infamous for selling road cars simply to fund the F1 team. McLaren started out as a racing team before branching out - and would not exist or hold such a reputation in the industry without that. Williams have branched out to avoid the team going under after BMW's unceremonious departure. Peter Sauber is just a racing nut, and Monisha Kaltenborn is much the same. They are, first and foremost, racers.

But why car manufacture can't be considered as a racer? Car manufacture is just sponsor and owner. Drivers always do some pr stuff. It can be promoting luxury watches or Toyota cars. Just another pr exercise. Where is the difference? Just because it's car manufacture they can't be considered racers? Actually the first races were to promote cars. See what Peguot or Renault did in 19th century. Just because 80s and 70s were "garage era", it doesn't mean it is the only "true" form of racing.

Aside from Ferrari, manufacturers have come and gone depending on economic and market conditions. The real racers are the ones who stuck it out regardless, for the love of racing. Not exclusively garagistas, but they tend to fit the bill better. Sadly today's F1 is too expensive for them to continue without branching out.

Sauber is 4th oldest team. It 1995, the rest was created in mid 2000s. Others changed ownership many times. The old F1 team is anomaly.

_________________Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.Mark Twain

Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, and Sauber are all racing in F1 just for the sake of it and because it 's what they have been doing for years. Yeah, I know that Ferrari (and to a lesser extent McLaren) is also a car manufacturer, bur they were in F1 before the Championship existed and F1 is a fundamental and strategical part of their core business, not just an advertising tool. In all four cases, F1 racing is their main reason to exist, that's what I'd call anl old-time style teams.

Lotus, Force India, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are toys in the hands of billionaires, just like there were privateer teams (like Rob Walker's) in the old times, so they could also fit the bill.

Mercedes and Caterham are the teams that you could classify as "Manufacturer's teams", but what makes them different? They only have a very loose relationship with their mother manufacturers, other than some stickers in their bodywork and driver's overalls. Think that not even the Mercedes engine is properly a "Mercedes engine", it's just badge engineering.

Mercedes and Caterham having a Formula 1 team is only a marketing exercise that some board executives decided because it had a better brand exposure per invested euro than sponsoring the UEFA Champions League, like Ford does. The day another executive will decide otherwise, they'll quit and will go to the America Cup, like BMW did.

Being a Volkswagen owner, I'd like to see VAG buy into Sauber like BMW did. However I really do miss having BMW around, BMW-Sauber was my favourite team by far before the they pulled out, I guess I can say Sauber is still my favourite out of all the teams, but they need another manufacturer to buy into them again.